Author: Nahapetian Lilit

CONVOY OF TRUCKS ARRIVES IN TRABZON FOR BLACK SEA RING HIGHWAY

Turkish Press
May 24 2007

TRABZON – "These trucks contribute to love, peace, welfare and
friendship in the countries they have been touring," Nuri Okutan,
Governor of Black Sea city of Trabzon said on Wednesday.

Okutan was speaking at a ceremony held to welcome the convoy of trucks
that arrived in Trabzon to promote the Black Sea ring highway that will
be built with contributions from the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) countries.

On the other hand, BSEC Secretary General Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos
thanked everybody who contributed to the formation of the convoy,
"we believe that the convoy will also have a positive impact on the
7,500 km Black Sea ring highway and BSEC."

Lorries from 12 BSEC member states left Belgrade on April 19th and
made stopovers in Serbia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova,
Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. They will arrive
in Trabzon on Wednesday, and a welcome ceremony will be held in front
of the city’s town hall.

BSEC aims to improve highways and ports in member states to make
possible a liberal highway transportation. Within this framework,
two agreements were signed in Belgrade on April 19th and trucks from
12 BSEC member states left this city the same day to promote the BSEC
ring highway to be constructed soon.

ARAM I CELEBRATES LITURGY AT SURB KARASNITS MANKANTS CATHEDRAL OF ALEPPO

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 23 2007

ANTELIAS, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The saint liturgy
was celebrated on May 20 at the Surb Karasnits Mankants Cathedral
of Aleppo. The liturgy was celebrated by Aram I Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia who addressed his patriarchal commandment to
the believing people.

His Holiness Patriarch touched upon in his sermon the idea of truth,
mentioning that the whole history of the mankind is a search of
truth. He emphasized that the goal of the church is to become a
defender and preacher of the truth. In the Catholicos’ words, the
Armenian Church is faithful to its title and today as well continues
its mission of an apologist and defender of the truth.

After the saint and eternal liturgy the believing people, coming up
with timidity to His Holiness, got his blessing.

Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
May 16, 2007 Wednesday
Final Edition; All Editions

Arslanian brothers intend to rebuild 48 years behind determination

by Gabriel Baird, Plain Dealer Reporter

The Arslanian brothers built a carpet-cleaning business over 48
years. On Monday, it went up in smoke in a few hours.

Cleveland firefighters were alerted that the family’s East Side
building was on fire at 8:30 p.m. It took hours to get the blaze
under control. By then it was too late.

Firefighter Larry Gray, the department spokesman, said Tuesday that
it may take days for investigators to determine the cause of the
fire.

However, the Arslanian Brothers Carpet & Rug Cleaning site has
already been turned over to the three brothers who started it in 1959
– Ted, Henry and Armen Arslanian. Several family members and
employees returned to the building Tuesday.

Fire debris cluttered the sidewalk at 10009 Miles Avenue. Blank
invoices, advertising "5 generations of Armenian Experts," littered
the gutter. Up above, the second-story windows had shattered. In
back, several rolled carpets were stacked against a wall. Some were
still soaked. Others were charred at the end, like enormous,
unfinished cigars.

Ted Arslanian walked through the debris inside, being careful not to
step on nails sticking out of boards. He moved past the charred
remains of the massive machine that had soaked, washed, rinsed and
wrung out the carpets, the large rug drier and all the company’s
records. Everything was destroyed.

Still, he and his family members are determined to rebuild.

"I have too many family members – 11 in all – in this business," he
said.

Friends and fellow business owners have offered use of their
buildings.

"We’ve already got our eye on another machine," he said. A company in
Michigan has one for sale.

This could help get the on-site cleaning operation back to work. The
other side of the business, in-home cleaning, is still running. Eight
of the company’s vans were not parked inside the building during the
fire.

However, they do not know what clients were scheduled for cleanings
or even whose rugs they had at the time of the fire. The blaze
destroyed their paper files and their computer records and even
melted the electronic records stored in a fireproof safe, said Don
Arslanian, a son of one of the founders who is looking to take over
the business with two of his cousins.

He said the family is devastated over the loss of customers’

rugs. Many of them are family heirlooms belonging to customers the
company has serviced for decades.

The family had the phone line in the business transferred to a home
line Tuesday, but so many calls came in they couldn’t keep up.

"There are customers calling up crying," Don Arslanian said.

He was not sure how many rugs were in the warehouse at the time. They
usually come in one week and are returned the next. It remains
unclear if insurance will replace the rugs.

Customers can call 216-271-6888 or e-mail: [email protected].

Plain Dealer researcher Jo Ellen Corrigan contributed to this
article.

REPUBLICANS OBJECT TO DASHNAK CONTROL OF DEFENSE MINISTRY
By Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 18 2007

A leader of the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) indicated
on Friday that it is against giving the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) the post of defense minister in a new
government to be formed by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

Dashnaktsutyun, which controls four other, less significant ministerial
portfolios in the outgoing Armenian cabinet, implied during campaigning
for the May 12 parliamentary elections that that is a necessary
condition for its continued presence in government.

Its leaders sounded more ambiguous on that score after the
Sarkisian-led HHK swept to a landslide victory in the polls. Still,
media reports have said they still hope to get hold of the
crucial post, even though the Republicans will no longer depend
on Dashnaktsutyun in pushing government bills through the National
Assembly.

Clearly referring to the Armenian ministries of defense and foreign
affairs, Tigran Torosian, the outgoing parliament speaker and the
HHK deputy chairman, said: "There are two ministries whose heads are
effectively chosen by the president of the republic. So why would
the president of the republic gives those posts to any party?"

One of the Dashnaktsutyun leaders, Armen Rustamian, said on May 9
that the Defense Ministry must no longer be run by "those who do not
represent a political force or a party." "We must put an end to this,"
he told a campaign rally in Yerevan.

Torosian insisted, however, that President Robert Kocharian must
continue to directly control the Defense Ministry. "I don’t think he
has to offer any party to nominate people here and there," he said.

Like other top Republicans, Torosian made it clear that the HHK
does not want to form a classical coalition government as a result
of elections but is ready to give high-level government posts to
other parties loyal to Kocharian. "The most important thing is to have
full-fledged cooperation," he told a news conference. "The more parties
are involved in that cooperation, the more pluralism there will be."

Although the HHK will have an absolute majority in the newly elected
parliament, observers believe that Sarkisian is willing to share
power with those pro-Kocharian forces which could endorse him for
the Armenian presidency. Dashnaktsutyun leaders have said until now
that they will have their own candidate in next year’s presidential
election.

NKR PM SPEAKS UP FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TIES BETWEEN NAGORNO-KARABAGH AND GERMANY

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 18 2007

The Nagorno-Karabagh PM Anoushavan Danielian received a German
delegation headed by Professor Eckhart Stratenshulte, the Director
of Berlin’s European Academy.

The PM mentioned the importance of such communication in achieving
the Nagorno-Karabagh’s international recognition, IA REGNUM reports.

Speaking up for the development of ties between the Nagorno-Karabagh
and Germany, Anoushavan Danielian expressed satisfaction with
the fact that the representatives of famous mass media were in the
German delegation, due to which information on real situation in the
Nagorno-Karabagh will reach the European public.

On the guests’ request Anoushavan Danielian presented the process
of the Republic’s post-war restoration and situation in economy. The
guests thanked NKR PM for the opportunity to receive information at
first hand. The issues of mutual interest were also considered at
the meeting.

Azerbaijan’s recurrent note of protest to Russia

ArmRadio.am
19.05.2007 13:36

The Embassy of Azerbaijan in the Russian Federation conveyed a note of
protest to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs connected with the
conduct of the conference entitled `The Call of Mrav’ to be held May
27th in Moscow. On May 18 the note was handed over to A. Kelinin, the
Director of the Russian MFA Department on CIS.

According to Day.az, it is mentioned in the note of protest that the
real objective of the given event is to create a `distorted notion’ of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict among the Russian public and `cause
harm’ to Azerbaijani-Russian relations, which `will have a negative
influence on the further development of bilateral relations.

The Azerbaijani Ambassador called on the Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to undertake measures to prevent `such anti-Azerbaijani steps’
and create an atmosphere corresponding to the spirit and level of the
Azerbaijani-Russian relations.

BUYER REFUSES TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YERER FLOUR FACTORY

Addis Fortune, Ethoipia
May 15, 2007 Tuesday

Ethiopia;

The Privatisation and Public Enterprises Supervisor Agency (PPESA)
will re-tender Yerer Flour Factory SC as Anwar Abdulkadir, who won the
tender to buy the Factory for five million Birr in January this year,
failed to take ownership.

In March, PPESA informed Anwar, the only bidder who showed interest
in the Factory, of its decision to award him the plant, but he refused
to take over.

A PPESA official told Fortune that the Agency repeatedly wrote Anwar
to sign the agreement and finalise the transfer of the Factory but
the investor would not budge.

"The winner could not receive the Factory," said the Agency Public
Relations Officer, Wendafrash Asefa. "Therefore, a decision has been
made to re-tender the Factory."

During the last two months in which PPESA was expecting the winner
to take over the Factory, it ceased production and the workers were
sent on their annual leave.

Fortune’s attempts to solicit comments from Anwar failed. But sources
close to the situation however, say that Anwar refuses to take
ownership because he has discovered the Factory is seven million Birr
in debt. They added he was told to take over the debt as well.

"The Individual had no information about the debt prior to or during
the opening and award of the tender", sources disclosed.

Yerer Flour Factory, located 98Km east of Addis Abeba just south of
Adama on the road to Wonji, was built by Armenian and Italian investors
35 years ago, and has a capacity to produce 500-550qt of flour a day.

The Factory still uses old machinery dismantled and brought in from
Kenya by the founders which consume disproportionately larger amounts
of electric power than more modern factories in the sector.

"It is impossible for the Factory with 105 permanent and 3 contract
workers to compete in the sector," a member of Factory management
disclosed to Fortune. He said that it used to earn a net profit of
up to three million Birr six years ago. It now loses an average of
2.5 million Br annually.

"Sitting idle for the last two months, I am concerned and stressed that
I would loose my job," said a veteran machine operator who was employed
by the Factory for 20 years. "I have lost all hope of returning to
my job, and I would now like to see my pension materialise," he added.

DESPITE THE VIOLATIONS HAVING TAKEN PLACE, "DASHNAKTSUTIUN" RECOGNIZES THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTIONS

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
May 15 2007

Yerevan, May 15. /Mediamax/. "Dashnaktsutiun" party made a statement
today, in which it described the parliamentary elections of May 12
in Armenia as "a progress along the path to democratic elections,
meeting the international standards".

Mediamax reports that "Dashnaktsutiun", which occupied the third
place in the elections, noted high activity of the electors on the
day of voting.

"At the same time, one should admit that we failed to fully prevent
pernicious phenomena during the election processes and exclude the
opportunity of gaining votes by means of compulsion and bribery.

Despite that, "Dashnaktsutiun" recognized the outcome of the elections
and its preliminary results", the statement reads.

NATIONAL TEAM OF ARMENIA ALSO TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT OF BOXING TO BE HELD IN CZECHIA

Noyan Tapan
May 15 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The international boxing tournament will
be held in the city of Ustina Nad Labe, Czechia, on May 16-21. The
national team of Armenia (main trainer: Soviet Union Honourary Trainer
Rafayel Mehrabian) will also participate in it. Gabriel Tolmajian
(57 kg), Arman Ohanian (91 kg), Sargis Zargarian (heavy weight:
all from Yerevan), Derenik Gizhlarian (51 kg), Hrachia Hovhannisian
(69 kg), Andranik Hakobian (75 kg, all the three from Armavir) and
Samvel Matevosian (69 kg, Vanadzor) will enter the ring.

RICE ARRIVED IN MOSCOW TO EASE TENSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.05.2007 16:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived
in Russia on Monday seeking to patch up a relationship so strained
by differences over Kosovo and missile defense that some have warned
of a new Cold War.

Russian officials say they are preparing for calm and positive talks
with Rice on her two-day visit, in marked contrast to the shrill tone
of exchanges between Moscow and Washington in the past few months.

But Moscow — flush with oil money and once again flexing its muscles
as a world power just as Washington is mired in Iraq — warned that
it would not be dictated to by its U.S. visitor.

"We always call on our American partners to talk frankly and not
try to force their point of view on others," said Mikhail Kamynin,
chief spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry.

"What we need is not briefings but joint work and a joint search
for solutions."

Rice is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials, Reuters reports.